On June 5, 2014, the Chemical Safety Board releases a two-volume report shedding new light on the cause of the Gulf oil spill. Agency investigators say the blowout preventer failed when a long drill pipe running from the rig down into the ocean floor buckled under high pressure coming up from the oil reservoir. In addition, the agency found U.S. regulations governing offshore safety -- even new rules set after the 2010 oil spill -- do not address many key safety devices. less

On June 5, 2014, the Chemical Safety Board releases a two-volume report shedding new light on the cause of the Gulf oil spill. Agency investigators say the blowout preventer failed when a long drill pipe ... more

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On May 21, 2014, BP announces that it will take the courtroom fight over its multibillion-dollar oil spill settlement to the Supreme Court. The London-based oil company argued that it has paid potentially hundreds of millions of dollars to claimants who were not affected by the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill, violating its interpretation of the $9.2 billion settlement it reached with plaintiffs’ attorneys in 2012.
[Photo: People walk on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington.] less

On May 21, 2014, BP announces that it will take the courtroom fight over its multibillion-dollar oil spill settlement to the Supreme Court. The London-based oil company argued that it has paid potentially ... more

Photo: Jacquelyn Martin / Associated Press

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On May 20, 2014, a federal judge rules that some BP investors can form a class to sue the company over allegations it misled shareholders on how much oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. The ruling followed the investors’ second bid to gain class certification needed for a securities lawsuit over allegations BP executives played down the amount of oil spewing from its blown-out Macondo well in early days of the 87-day disaster. less

On May 20, 2014, a federal judge rules that some BP investors can form a class to sue the company over allegations it misled shareholders on how much oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. The ruling ... more

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On April 21, 2014, a federal court sets Jan. 20, 2015 as the first day of the penalty phase of BP’s civil trial over the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. The penalty phase, during which U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier will listen to testimony from BP and government attorneys over the British oil company’s liabilities in the spill, will end around Feb. 5 next year, the court said. less

On April 21, 2014, a federal court sets Jan. 20, 2015 as the first day of the penalty phase of BP’s civil trial over the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. The penalty phase, during which U.S. District Judge ... more

Photo: Seth Perlman / Associated Press

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On April 17, 2014, the Coast Guard cries foul over BP’s claim that active cleanup efforts to remove oil along the Gulf Coast shorelines have ended, saying the process is “far from over.”
[Photo: Mickal Vogt of Covington, La., uses a stick to place tar balls in a jar that washed up on the shore in Orange Beach, Ala., Saturday, June 12, 2010. ] less

On April 17, 2014, the Coast Guard cries foul over BP’s claim that active cleanup efforts to remove oil along the Gulf Coast shorelines have ended, saying the process is “far from over.”
[Photo: ... more

Photo: Dave Martin / AP

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On April 15, 2014 -- nearly four years after the Gulf oil spill -- BP declares an end to cleanup operations that cost the company $14 billion and once covered 778 miles of shoreline on the Gulf Coast. The Coast Guard had finished its last patrols of the three remaining miles of beach that had been soaked in oil after a blowout at BP’s Macondo well blew out.
[Photo: In May 2010, ships move an oil boom into place near Cat Island off the Gulf Coast of Mississippi as part of Deepwater Horizon oil spill response.] less

On April 15, 2014 -- nearly four years after the Gulf oil spill -- BP declares an end to cleanup operations that cost the company $14 billion and once covered 778 miles of shoreline on the Gulf Coast. The ... more

Photo: Tech. Sgt. Adrian Cadiz / AP

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In March 2014, BP reaches a deal with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to end its 16-month suspension on doing business with the government. The deal allowed BP to bid on new drilling rights in the Gulf of Mexico for the first time in nearly two years.
[Photo: BP repairs its Mad Dog rig in the Gulf of Mexico in 2012.] less

In March 2014, BP reaches a deal with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to end its 16-month suspension on doing business with the government. The deal allowed BP to bid on new drilling rights in the ... more

Photo: BP

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Kurt Mix, center, arrives at the Hale Boggs Federal Building in New Orleans. The former BP drilling engineer was convicted Dec. 18, 2013 of one charge that he deleted text messages from his cellphone to obstruct a federal investigation of the company’s massive 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. less

Kurt Mix, center, arrives at the Hale Boggs Federal Building in New Orleans. The former BP drilling engineer was convicted Dec. 18, 2013 of one charge that he deleted text messages from his cellphone to ... more

Photo: Jonathan Bachman / Associated Press

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Former FBI Director Louis Freeh leaves Federal Court after meeting with U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier, who appointed Freeh to investigate alleged misconduct by a lawyer who helped run BP's multibillion-dollar settlement fund for the Gulf oil spill. Freeh recommended Friday, Sept. 6, 2013, that the Justice Department investigate whether several lawyers plotted to corrupt the settlement program designed to compensate victims of BP's 2010 Gulf oil spill. less

Former FBI Director Louis Freeh leaves Federal Court after meeting with U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier, who appointed Freeh to investigate alleged misconduct by a lawyer who helped run BP's ... more

Photo: Gerald Herbert / Associated Press

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Steve Newman, president and CEO of Swiss-based Trancocean Ltd., leaves Federal Court after testifying in New Orleans, Tuesday, March 19, 2013. Transocean was the owner of the rig Deepwater Horizon, which was being operated under contract to BP when BP's Macondo well blew out on April 20, 2010, setting into motion events that led to the nation's worst offshore oil spill. The Deepwater Horizon sank two days after the blow out. less

Steve Newman, president and CEO of Swiss-based Trancocean Ltd., leaves Federal Court after testifying in New Orleans, Tuesday, March 19, 2013. Transocean was the owner of the rig Deepwater Horizon, which was ... more

Photo: Gerald Herbert / Associated Press

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Lamar McKay, former president of BP America and current chief executive of BP's Upstream unit, leaves Federal Court after testifying in New Orleans, Monday, Feb. 25, 2013. McKay, who was president of BP America at the time of the Deepwater Horizon disaster, became the first BP executive to testify at the federal trial intended to identify the causes of BP's Macondo well blowout and assign percentages of blame to the companies involved. less

Lamar McKay, former president of BP America and current chief executive of BP's Upstream unit, leaves Federal Court after testifying in New Orleans, Monday, Feb. 25, 2013. McKay, who was president of BP ... more

Photo: Gerald Herbert / Associated Press

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A report by the National Wildlife Federation finds that the 3-year-old BP spill is still having a serious negative effect on the ecology of the Gulf of Mexico and its wildlife populations. Pictured: Smoke billows over a controlled oil fire off the coast of Venice, La., on May 5, 2010. less

A report by the National Wildlife Federation finds that the 3-year-old BP spill is still having a serious negative effect on the ecology of the Gulf of Mexico and its wildlife populations. Pictured: Smoke ... more

Photo: Contributed Photo / Contributed Photo

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An activist holds a sign during a protest in front of the Hale Boggs Federal Building on the first day of the civil trial over the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil rig spill on February 25, 2013 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Eleven men were killed during the accident and over 4 million barrels of oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. less

An activist holds a sign during a protest in front of the Hale Boggs Federal Building on the first day of the civil trial over the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil rig spill on February 25, 2013 in New Orleans, ... more

Photo: Sean Gardner/Getty Images

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Activists holds signs during a protest in front of the Hale Boggs Federal Building on the first day of the civil trial against BP in the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill on Monday, Feb. 25, 2013.

Activists holds signs during a protest in front of the Hale Boggs Federal Building on the first day of the civil trial against BP in the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill on Monday, Feb. 25, 2013.

Photo: Sean Gardner/Getty Images

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Robert Kaluza, a BP well site leader from the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion, talks with his attorneys Shaun Clarke, left, and David Gerger, right, as they enter Federal Court before he is arraigned on manslaughter charges in New Orleans on Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012. less

Robert Kaluza, a BP well site leader from the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion, talks with his attorneys Shaun Clarke, left, and David Gerger, right, as they enter Federal Court before he is arraigned on ... more

Photo: Gerald Herbert/AP

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Robert Kaluza, a BP well site leader from the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion, enters Federal Court before he is arraigned on manslaughter charges in New Orleans on Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012.

Robert Kaluza, a BP well site leader from the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion, enters Federal Court before he is arraigned on manslaughter charges in New Orleans on Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012.

Photo: Gerald Herbert/AP

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BP Senior Vice President Kent Wells rubs his eyes while testifying during the Deepwater Horizon joint investigation hearings Aug. 26, 2010. The hearings were held by the U.S. Coast Guard and the Interior Department's Bureau of Ocean Management, Regulation and Enforcement in Houston . less

BP Senior Vice President Kent Wells rubs his eyes while testifying during the Deepwater Horizon joint investigation hearings Aug. 26, 2010. The hearings were held by the U.S. Coast Guard and the Interior ... more

Photo: David J. Phillip/AP

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Demonstrators hold up signs on Capitol Hill in Washington on Monday, May 17, 2010, as BP America Chairman and President Lamar McKay, right, waits his turn to testify before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing to assess the nation's response to BP PLC's Deepwater Horizon oil spill. less

Demonstrators hold up signs on Capitol Hill in Washington on Monday, May 17, 2010, as BP America Chairman and President Lamar McKay, right, waits his turn to testify before the Senate Homeland Security and ... more

Photo: Alex Brandon/AP

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A Capitol Hill police officer arrests Diane Wilson on Capitol Hill in Washington on June 17, 2010. BP CEO Tony Hayward was testifying before the Energy and Environment subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations hearing on the role of BP in the Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill. less

A Capitol Hill police officer arrests Diane Wilson on Capitol Hill in Washington on June 17, 2010. BP CEO Tony Hayward was testifying before the Energy and Environment subcommittee on Oversight and ... more

Photo: AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari

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A protester's sign lies outside a meeting where residents were able to get face-to-face time with BP and government officials at one of a series of open houses in New Orleans on June 23, 2010.

A protester's sign lies outside a meeting where residents were able to get face-to-face time with BP and government officials at one of a series of open houses in New Orleans on June 23, 2010.

Photo: Smiley N. Pool / Houston Chronicle

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The letters BP, inscribed in sand and oil by a Greenpeace activist, are shown on a beach at the mouth of the Mississippi River on May 17, 2010 near Venice, La.

The letters BP, inscribed in sand and oil by a Greenpeace activist, are shown on a beach at the mouth of the Mississippi River on May 17, 2010 near Venice, La.

Photo: John Moore/Getty Images

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Melanie Driscoll, director of Bird Conservation for the Louisiana Coastal Initiative, holds up oil residue on April 8, 2011. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries gave a press tour to show the effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in Port Sulphur, La. less

Melanie Driscoll, director of Bird Conservation for the Louisiana Coastal Initiative, holds up oil residue on April 8, 2011. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries gave a press tour to show the ... more

Photo: James Nielsen / Houston Chronicle

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A cleanup worker, wearing a protective coverall and carrying a small scoop, punctuates an otherwise typical holiday beach scene as patrols the beach looking for tar balls on Independence Day 2010.Tourist business along the Gulf Coast all reported feeling the sting of lost income from a noticeable dip in tourism the summer following the Deepwater Horizon spill. less

A cleanup worker, wearing a protective coverall and carrying a small scoop, punctuates an otherwise typical holiday beach scene as patrols the beach looking for tar balls on Independence Day 2010.Tourist ... more

Photo: Smiley N. Pool / Houston Chronicle

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A member of Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal's staff reaches into thick oil on the surface of the northern regions of Barataria Bay in Plaquemines Parish, La. on June 15, 2010.

A member of Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal's staff reaches into thick oil on the surface of the northern regions of Barataria Bay in Plaquemines Parish, La. on June 15, 2010.

Photo: Gerald Herbert/AP

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Crude oil from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill washes ashore in Orange Beach, Ala. on June 12, 2010. Large amounts of the oil battered the Alabama coast, leaving deposits of the slick mess some 4 inches to 6 inches thick on some parts of the beach. less

Crude oil from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill washes ashore in Orange Beach, Ala. on June 12, 2010. Large amounts of the oil battered the Alabama coast, leaving deposits of the slick mess some 4 inches to 6 ... more

Photo: Dave Martin/AP

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A brown pelican stained with oil takes flight while a bird rescue team tries to capture it for cleaning on June 5, 2010 in Grand Isle, Louisiana.

A brown pelican stained with oil takes flight while a bird rescue team tries to capture it for cleaning on June 5, 2010 in Grand Isle, Louisiana.

Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images

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Patches of oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill are seen underwater in the Gulf of Mexico, south of Venice, La., on Monday, June 7, 2010.

Patches of oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill are seen underwater in the Gulf of Mexico, south of Venice, La., on Monday, June 7, 2010.

Photo: Rich Matthews/AP

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A boat is surrounded by oil near the site of the Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill on Tuesday, June 15, 2010.

A boat is surrounded by oil near the site of the Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill on Tuesday, June 15, 2010.

Photo: Smiley N. Pool / Houston Chronicle

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A shrimp boat is used to collect oil with booms in the waters of Chandeleur Sound, La.

A shrimp boat is used to collect oil with booms in the waters of Chandeleur Sound, La.

Photo: Eric Gay/AP

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People gather near crosses for the 11 workers who died in the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion, during a vigil to mark the first anniversary of the BP oil spill on a beach in Grand Isle, La.. The large cross in the center is for the Gulf of Mexico. less

People gather near crosses for the 11 workers who died in the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion, during a vigil to mark the first anniversary of the BP oil spill on a beach in Grand Isle, La.. The large ... more

Photo: Patrick Semansky/AP

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Oil floats in the waters of Chandeleur Sound, La. two weeks after the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico.

Oil floats in the waters of Chandeleur Sound, La. two weeks after the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico.

Photo: Eric Gay/AP

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Oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill floats on the water as the sky is reflected in sheen on Barataria Bay, off the coast of Louisiana on June, 7, 2010.

Oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill floats on the water as the sky is reflected in sheen on Barataria Bay, off the coast of Louisiana on June, 7, 2010.

Photo: Charlie Riedel/AP

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The Deepwater Horizon oil rig burns in the Gulf of Mexico on April 21, 2010, more than 50 miles southeast of Venice on Louisiana's tip.

The Deepwater Horizon oil rig burns in the Gulf of Mexico on April 21, 2010, more than 50 miles southeast of Venice on Louisiana's tip.

Photo: Gerald Herbert/AP

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Fire boat response crews battle the blazing remnants of the off shore oil rig Deepwater Horizon on April 21, 2010. The blowout in the Gulf of Mexico killed 11 people and sent 4.9 million barrels of oil gushing from the sea floor into the Gulf. less

Fire boat response crews battle the blazing remnants of the off shore oil rig Deepwater Horizon on April 21, 2010. The blowout in the Gulf of Mexico killed 11 people and sent 4.9 million barrels of oil gushing ... more

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A former BP drilling engineer was convicted Wednesday of deleting text messages from his cellphone to obstruct a federal investigation of the company’s massive 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Kurt Mix was found guilty on one charge and acquitted of a second charge.

A federal jury deliberated for more than nine hours over three days before reaching the verdict on Mix’s case. The count of obstruction of justice carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Mix was released on his present bond. His sentencing is scheduled for March 26.

Mix hugged his friends and family members in the courtroom before leaving the courthouse hurriedly.

“I’m only going to speak through counsel,” he said to a reporter trying to ask him a question.

Trailing behind her brother in the courthouse lobby, Bridget Mix called the verdict “just unbelievable.”

“You can’t wrap your head around any of it,” she said.

Mix’s legal team said it would file additional material in support of its earlier request that U.S. District Judge Stanwood Duval Jr. acquit Mix — which the judge had said he would consider following the jury’s deliberations.

“Rest assured we will use every avenue to appeal this case until Kurt is fully exonerated,” the law firm Ropes & Gray said.

Prosecutors argued that the 52-year-old engineer from Katy, Texas was trying to destroy evidence when he deleted hundreds of text messages to and from a supervisor and a BP contractor. Mix’s indictment also accused him of deleting two voice mails from the same two people.

Mix was convicted of the count that charged him with deleting the string of messages with his supervisor, Jonathan Sprague, and acquitted of the count that charged him with deleting the string of messages with contractor Wilson Arabie. Sprague didn’t testify at the trial, but Arabie was a prosecution witness.

Outside the courthouse after the verdict, two jurors told reporters that the lack of testimony from Sprague and the fact that 17 messages in that string couldn’t be recovered were factors in their votes to convict Mix of that count.

“Sprague would have been the determining factor,” said juror William Gunn, 48, of New Orleans. “There were missing texts, and we couldn’t tell if they were relevant or not.”

“It was the unknown, and Sprague was the other half of that unknown,” added fellow juror Scott Galliano, 49, of Luling.

U.S. District Judge Stanwood Duval Jr. had instructed jurors that they couldn’t give “undue weight” to the 17 unrecovered text messages.

Mix’s lawyers said their client didn’t hide anything. He preserved other records containing the same information contained in the deleted messages, they told jurors.

“We remain as convinced as ever of Kurt Mix’s innocence,” defense attorney Joan McPhee said after the verdict. “We intend to continue to fight to ensure that justice is done in this case.”

A Justice Department official, Mythili Raman, thanked federal investigators for the “dedication and tenacity” on the case.

“This prosecution shows the commitment of the Justice Department to holding accountable those who interfere with the administration of justice,” Raman said in a statement.

Mix, who didn’t testify at his two-week trial, was one of four current or former BP employees charged with crimes related to the spill. His case was the first to be tried.

The April 20, 2010, blowout of BP PLC’s Macondo well triggered an explosion that killed 11 workers on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig and spawned the nation’s worst offshore oil spill. Millions of gallons of oil spewed into the Gulf while the company scrambled for weeks to seal the well.

Mix was on a team of experts who worked on BP’s unsuccessful attempt to stop the gusher using a technique called “top kill.” He had access to internal data about how much oil was flowing from the blown-out well.

On May 26, 2010, the day that top kill began, Mix estimated in a text to Sprague that more than 630,000 gallons of oil per day were spilling — three times BP’s public estimate of 210,000 gallons daily and a rate far greater than what top kill could handle. Mix deleted the string of messages with Sprague in October 2010.

In August 2011, Mix also deleted a string of text messages that he exchanged with Arabie. Several weeks earlier, federal authorities issued a subpoena to BP for copies of Mix’s correspondence. The same count that charged Mix with intentionally deleting those messages also says Mix deleted a voice mail from Arabie and a voice mail from Sprague.

A new module is lifted on to BP's Andrew platform, located approximately 230 kilometres North East of Aberdeen, Scotland.

A new module is lifted on to BP's Andrew platform, located approximately 230 kilometres North East of Aberdeen, Scotland.

Photo: BP

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The 700 tonne module is lifted into position on BP's Andrew platform in the North Sea. The module handles production tied-in from the nearby Kinnoull field and is one of three reservoirs being developed as part of the rejuvenation of the Andrew area. less

The 700 tonne module is lifted into position on BP's Andrew platform in the North Sea. The module handles production tied-in from the nearby Kinnoull field and is one of three reservoirs being developed as ... more

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The Deepsea Stavanger Drilling Rig operates with a support vessel in Angola, Africa.

The Deepsea Stavanger Drilling Rig operates with a support vessel in Angola, Africa.

Photo: BP

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BP's Valhall platform operates in the Norwegian North Sea.

BP's Valhall platform operates in the Norwegian North Sea.

Photo: BP

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The first ignition of a flare occurs at BP's Skarv Floating, Production, Storage and Offloading vessel on December 5, 2012 using buy back gas.

The first ignition of a flare occurs at BP's Skarv Floating, Production, Storage and Offloading vessel on December 5, 2012 using buy back gas.